Homeschool could be challenging for many people for many reasons, and so we started the government "mom and pop" schools. They were run by a pair of teachers (one male, one female where possible) out of local cafes and restaurants. The teachers were good role models and emotional anchors in the storm that was rocking the world. The renting of the space was a much needed boost to local business and the kids were fed a full days worth of good food in a relaxed learning environment. We did it in the homeschool way with siblings together, with time to relax and socialise built in. The teachers took on a loving parent approach combined with teaching tailored to each child's ability and interests. Homeschool has better results than private school, so the educational outcomes were optimal. Kids who feel loved develop healthier brains and bodies, and so the social and health outcomes were great too. It was a big reorganisation, for sure, but these bubbles were needed in the pandemic and once we tried it, why go back? It was far better for everyone.
Looking at the models, there was no safe way to reopen schools in the pandemic, and so we took the per head funding for each student for that academic year and paid it directly to parents on top of their child benefit money.
If we are going to solve the madness of the world, we can start by respecting the human brain as an organic computer that works best with logic, emotion, creativity and self driven passion; though we have the capacity for random access memory, it is a poor way to educate and the reason our schools damage our innate genius capacities.
This school is not the million bricks, but the thousand hearts who carry more dreams than the night sky has stars. This school is the emotions, our stories and our love for each other. I hope you can see that through the stress filled haze this thing called adulthood has you smoking. We aren't the product, we are the reason.
You can make policies ten miles long and alphebetize your filing cabinet. You can attend meetings and dress real nice. But my stomach is empty and my mind is full of pain. It can't take no more in, Miss. It can't take no more in. So unless you gonna fix that, unless you gonna care, shut up. Please, for the love of God, shut up. My mom is sick and the rent overdue. My uncle said I'm a looser like me dad. The world is fucked up real bad and the gang got their eyes on me. So like I said, lady up there talking words that bounce off my skull, my mind is already full. So you learn. You learn how to take this shit out. You learn how to take my desire to put your head through that wall and make something calm. You learn how to love your students like a good mother, whatever the hell that is. You learn how to come into my head space, meet me for who I am and not tell me to meet your neat printed government bull crap standards. Because if you don't I'm gonna take a fist full of this anger and pain, this fear that's sat in me since I don't even remember when, and I'm gonna shove it right in your face. Then you'll hate me like all the others. All the others. All of them with their judging eyes from their comfortable lives with those that love them. Why don't you ever learn to see what you are seeing? So, Miss, here is your grade: SEE ME.
School for the children of the tented ghetto was a large rug for them all to sit on while they were lectured from a black board on an easel. On a good day the teacher would have some chalk.
Give me the freedom to learn by my own errors without judgement and I will school myself faster than you can ever teach.